to live and die , under a starless sky .

TO LIVE & DIE - UNDER A STARLESS SKY . ❝ There ain't gonna be no mercy from me. I don't give a shit if they're strong, or weak, or a baby or an ANIMAL --- I'm gonna kill EVERYONE in one hit. So that they won't ever stand up again! ❞

Independent Nnoitra Gilga from Tite Kubo's Bleach, written by Toby.

( Blog established in 2014. Mutuals only, OC and crossover friendly, a lot of AU content, many triggers apply. Please remember that muse/=/mod. Please read rules before approaching. )

"Never meet your heroes", wasn't that how the saying went? Well, Nnoitra was about to do just that. Mah, maybe "hero" was a bit too much. But Nnoitra would be lying if he said he wasn't a FAN. This guy - Grimmjow - ( what a weird ass name ), was an actor who appeared in almost ALL of Nnoitra's favourite movies and shows. He had everything that a popular actor should have. The looks, the voice, the acting skills... Yeah. Nnoitra could never hope to achieve that sort of popularity ( even if Nnoitra WAS very popular, he was not good looking enough to ever be that famous ).

Nnoitra wasn't just going to MEET this guy, which would've been cool enough - he was going to co-star with him.

When the director had let the cast know that for this new season, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez would be playing a newly added character... That had been a "this can't be fucking happening"-moment. Thanks to Nnoitra's role in "Void World", he was now a recognized actor, and yeah, he had met a lot of famous people. However, he'd never been starstruck.

He wondered if he would be this time around. Hopefully not.

The director had already personally pulled Nnoitra aside and warned him not to make trouble. Of course Nnoitra understood why, because he was known to be somewhat of an asshole, and several of his co-stars had had an issue with him before things were more or less resolved. Nnoitra hadn't told the director that this wouldn't be a problem, but he had said he'd "just be himself", to which the director had replied: "Please don't." Nnoitra hadn't told him anything about his fanboy feelings towards Jaegerjaquez. He didn't want that sentiment to be spread around on set, since it would make him seem lame as fuck.

Nnoitra put his phone away. He'd been idly scrolling it, watching youtube shorts of people falling ( he found such videos funny ), while he passed the time. But now Jaegerjaquez should be walking in any moment. Nnoitra wondered if he'd be fashionably late. Surely he'd know that he ranked above everyone here in terms of popularity. The fact that he was even going to star in this show would take it to a whole new level, and they were bound to get hundreds of thousands - if not millions of new viewers just from his fanbase. Would he be snobbish about it? Look down on them all like: "You bastards are lucky to have me here"? Once again, Nnoitra was reminded of that "never meet your heros"-quote.

This was his very first time wearing a suit. It was by no means comfortable. Not because the suit didn't fit him ( in fact, it fit perfectly, seeing as it was tailored ) - but it made him feel out of place. He felt stupid. Nnoitra had never been a fan of pretending. He'd always been unapologetically himself, even during times when he could've saved himself a lot of grief by just trying to fit in. Speaking of "pretending", that was exactly what he was here to do. Which brought him to the question that kept popping up in his head:

Why the fuck am I doin' this?

He remembered when he and Nunnally had "planned" this whole thing. He'd been very accommodating, going along with her wishes. Maybe a part of him had thought that what they were planning would never actually happen. Why would she WANT him, of all people, to play her pretend-boyfriend? He didn't look good, or have nice manners or bring ANYTHING of value. It wasn't like it was too late for him to back out. He could just tell her that he had changed his mind. She'd be disappointed ( maybe? ), but he doubted she'd be angry with him. Even if she had spent a lot of money on buying the suit for him.

But --- He knew the why. He did. He just didn't like to admit it. He was curious. He was curious about what it was like to live that kind of life. A "normal" one. A life where you dated a pretty girl, and met her family at a dinner party so formal you had to wear a suit. He wondered what kind of food they ate. What they talked about. Maybe a part of him wanted to experience it just to confirm totally and undeniably that he DIDN'T belong.

He knocked on Nunnally's door. The window of "turning back" was quickly closing. Fuck it. What was the worst that could happen? He had a long list of how many ways this shit could go south. All of the outcomes would surely be worse for Nunnally than himself.

The air was thin. Like standing on a tall mountain top. He knew it was due to the lack of spirit particles - the density, or whatever scientific bullshit was the right word. Since he came to The World of the Living so rarely, it was taking him some time to get used to. Why would he come here anyway? What an ugly place.

The street was abandoned - it was late evening. The streetlights were on. The nearest one flickered. Nnoitra was suppressing his MASSIVE reiatsu to the best of his abilities - and he was skilled in that area. An ambush predator like him had to know how to conceal himself. He had only come here for a bit of fun. Even if he tried to keep his reiatsu hidden, he knew there would be alarm-bells going off in Seireitei now. It wouldn't take long before they'd send someone to face him.

The FUN Nnoitra was here for would soon reveal itself. He could sense that peculiar reiatsu approach. Just around the nearby building, rounding the corner now - there.

When he saw him, he had to admit, he was disappointed. He had expected something more than a kid. His appearance was perfectly human ( but his reiatsu stated otherwise ). Not especially tall, or muscular. His hair orange ( Nnoitra was used to strange hair colours by now ). There was nothing about him that looked intimidating. He almost doubted that this was the guy he was looking for.

❝ Ya REALLY the human who gave Grimmjow that big-ass scar? Ya look like a kid. ❞ Nnoitra said as he stepped forward towards the human. Kurosaki, wasn't that his name? Nnoitra wondered if facing off against Grimmjow and coming out of it alive had given the guy some confidence. It would be poorly misplaced in this situation, if that was the case. Nnoitra was FAR stronger than Grimmjow could ever dream of becoming.